Belgians in Multiple Horse Hitches

Tags: Belgian Horses, Tack

 

The Belgian Horse has played an important part in the history of the American farmer, thanks to multiple horse hitches. Through the use of these multiple hitches, the farmers were able to obtain the power that they needed in order to prepare their fields as well as harvest their crops in an efficient manner.

Between the years of 1820 and 1870, there was a revolution in the technology used for agriculture. This created a strong demand for stronger and larger horses that were able to power the equipment being used. The new farm equipment was a great improvement and the productivity of the American farmer was greatly increased. The McCormick reaper enabled a single farmer to do the work of thirty men, as it not only cut, but tied the grains into stocks. The new equipment decreased the need for manpower, but the need for horsepower was greatly increased. The horses were needed to power the new combines and threshers, binders, mowers, seed drills, double width harrows and steel plows. The typical wheat farm in the Midwest had ten horses toward the end of the century. Each horse worked approximately six hundred hours on average each year. It was not unusual during harvest time to see teams of over forty draft horses pull giant combines.

In 1790, the American farm was on average around 100 acres in size. During the next sixty years, this figure more than doubled. By the year 1910, it was not uncommon to see wheat farms that were 500 acres in size. Previously, light horses and oxen had been adequate to till the fields of the eastern United States. However, there was a great need for a stronger source of power to work the soil of the American prairie. In the late 1830's, the first draft horses were imported into America. With the casualties of the Civil War and the migration westward, farm labor was scarce and there became a greater need for the new farm equipment and the draft horses to pull them. In the early 1900's, there were over 27,000 draft horses in the United States. These included Belgians, Percherons, Suffolk Punches, Shires and Clydesdales.

Today, the Belgian Draft Horse is still used by the Amish farmer. The Amish farmer will only use these horses in a multiple hitch if they are docked. The docking of the horse helps to ensure that it is safe while using the large hitches needed for agriculture. The use of these large hitches was promoted by agricultural colleges and universities as well as experimental farms and is believed to lighten the draft. The docking is also important for the safety of the family members who will handle each of the multiple hitches. For this reason, most all Belgian Draft Horses that are available at public auction are docked.

There are a growing number of stockmen who employ a team of Belgian Draft Horses today, for economic reasons. There are also many resorts that employ a team of Belgians for carriage, sleigh and hay rides. They are considered to be friendly for the environment and this has prompted their return, although limited, to the forest industry. All of these are possible through the use of multiple hitches.

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